Police file charges vs Tau Gamma members over hazing death of criminology student

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Police District on Thursday filed charges against members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity suspected to have participated in the fatal hazing rites of a graduating criminology student.

In a statement issued Thursday, the QCPD said that five suspects currently detained have been charged with violating the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 and have been brought before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.

Two of the suspects, Justin Artates and Kyle Michael De Castro, have issued an extrajudicial confession disclosing the names and addresses of other Tau Gamma Phi members related to the death of criminology student Ahldryn Lery Chua Bravante. Three others surrendered to authorities.

Based on the police’s investigation, the 25-year-old student suffered at least 60 blows to his body during the fraternity’s initiation rites on Monday, after which he experienced difficulty breathing and was taken to a hospital. He was reportedly pronounced dead on arrival. 

BGen. Redrico Maranan, QCPD director, has issued a warning against the 11 individuals they have named to surrender before authorities or face arrest.

"Surrender now to help the family of the victim achieve justice for their son,” Maranan said in the statement. 

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, co-author and co-sponsor of the Anti-Hazing Law, has called on school officials to act more decisively to prevent hazing deaths. 

Gatchalian pointed out that the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018, which was enacted after the death of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio Castillo III from the hazing rites of fraternity Aegis Juris, requires schools to raise awareness among parents about the consequences of joining fraternities.

Similarly, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has lamented the occurrence of another hazing death months after Adamson University student John Matthew Salilig was similarly killed during the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity's initiation rite.

"This senseless death of another young student due to barbaric fraternity tradition is not only enraging but frustrating as well as it happened despite our efforts to put more teeth to the law against fraternity hazing," Zubiri said.